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Topic: Asleep At The Wheel 1977 |
Roger Shackelton
From:
MINNESOTA (deceased)
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Posted 23 Jan 2009 3:09 am |
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This video is from the Ronnie Prophet Show, taped April 27, 1977, The Western Swing group ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL performs two songs on Canadian TV.
"Rag Time Annie" & "I Wonder". CHRIS O'CONNELL on vocals & LUCKY OCEANS on PSG.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOPNJhmnvYw&feature=related
ROGER |
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 23 Jan 2009 3:49 am
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| I remember seeing that lineup in Frankfurt, Germany, in '76. Ray Benson looked a lot younger then. |
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Joey Ace
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 23 Jan 2009 4:57 am
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I saw that line up in '77 also,
at the newly opened "Great Adventure" Theme Park and Safari in South Jersey.
Cool video! |
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Joe Casey
From:
Weeki Wachee .Springs FL (population.9)
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Posted 23 Jan 2009 5:54 am
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| Wow. Nice seeing LeRoy Preston again..I often wonder what he's doing now..Leroy was a pretty good song writer also and it was he and Ray that formed the group.. |
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c c johnson
From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
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Posted 23 Jan 2009 7:05 am
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| I heard that Ray,Floyd Domino, and Lucky Oceans formed the group. cc |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 23 Jan 2009 7:08 am
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Great clip!
Ronnie Prophet has a pretty thick southern accent for a Canadian!  |
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 23 Jan 2009 10:52 am
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| I saw them, sometime around then, at a New Years Eve party at a Hells Angel's bar some where in Berkeley/Oakland?. They were in top form and the Angels were swing dancing. A great time. |
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Craig Stock
From:
Westfield, NJ USA
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Posted 29 Jan 2009 5:05 pm
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Joe, The last I heard was that Leroy lives in Vermont and did something with Computer data, sure wish I knew more.
My mother -in-law lives in VT. and it would be great to bump into Leroy and chat, maybe someday
_________________
Regards, Craig
I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.
Today is tomorrow's Good ol' days |
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Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 29 Jan 2009 10:21 pm
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The fiddling and steel solo were good, but I didn't care for the singer.
I remember watching Ronnie Prophet's show back in the mid to late 1970s. The show was called 'Grand Old Country'. Ronnie was a good fingerpicker, and at that time he was playing a white Strat.
_________________
Sho-Bud Pro III + Marshall JMP 2204 half stack = good grind! |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 9:57 am
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Didn't care for the singer? Wow, I can't imagine that! Chris Connell is one of my all time favorite female vocalists since I first heard her on AATW's recording of "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" back in the early seventies. To me she's the epitome of a great western swing & pop vocalist with a bluesy edge!
When they did the two guitar & electric mandolin ride, who was the other guitarist playing the Telecaster?........
This is really their classic lineup and really laid it down....IMHO........JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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Alvin Blaine
From:
Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 11:27 am
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| Jerry Hayes wrote: |
When they did the two guitar & electric mandolin ride, who was the other guitarist playing the Telecaster?........
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That was Leroy Preston. He wrote some of those early AATW songs, including "My Baby Thinks She's a Train", which Rosanne Cash turned into a number 1 hit a few years later just by dropping one letter out of the title.
_________________
http://www.oldbluesound.com/about.htm
http://www.facebook.com/cowboytwang |
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Alvin Blaine
From:
Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 11:40 am
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| c c johnson wrote: |
| I heard that Ray,Floyd Domino, and Lucky Oceans formed the group. cc |
This is from a Ray Benson interview:
It all started when "three Jews" -- Benson(Raymond Seifert), Floyd Domino (né Jim Haber), and Lucky Oceans (né Ruben Gosfield) -- a Vermont farm boy named Leroy Preston; Virginian Chris O'Connell; and Gene Dobkin, a bass player and fellow classmate of Benson's from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, joined forces.
_________________
http://www.oldbluesound.com/about.htm
http://www.facebook.com/cowboytwang |
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Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 7:40 pm
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| Jerry Hayes wrote: |
| Didn't care for the singer? Wow, I can't imagine that! Chris Connell is one of my all time favorite female vocalists since I first heard her on AATW's recording of "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" back in the early seventies. To me she's the epitome of a great western swing & pop vocalist with a bluesy edge! |
She's a soprano. To me, an alto sounds much better for jazz, blues and swing.
_________________
Sho-Bud Pro III + Marshall JMP 2204 half stack = good grind! |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 10:17 pm
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| Quote: |
| ... and Gene Dobkin, a bass player and fellow classmate of Benson's from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, joined forces. |
And wouldn't you know it, I arrived at Antioch just after Ray left. 
In fact, I think Lucky was at Antioch-Columbia in Maryland, and another early Wheel member was from Antioch in Yellow Springs. Most musicians I knew there were either into roots music of some sort, or some very out type of jazz or modern atonal music. It was the perfect place to just delve head first into whatever you felt like doing.
Myself, I was into physics, music, and math, and actually graduated instead of hitting the road solo or with a band as the more well-known Antioch musicians like Ray, John Hammond and Jorma Kaukonen did. Oh well, I'm just a n'eer do well, I guess. 
You may be interested to know that Antioch - Yellow Springs is closed right now. I'm sure that makes some people very happy, but I wouldn't suggest they gloat too much. It's risen from the ashes more than once and will again.
BTW, I think Chris Connell sounds great here. |
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Dan Hatfield
From:
Columbia, Mo USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2009 2:26 pm
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Just for the record, Chris O'Connell can be in my band any time she wants and I will even give her my portion of the paycheck! She is fabulous IMHO.
Dan |
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Jeff Hyman
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2009 4:15 pm
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| Anyone know when Mary Ann Price joined on vocals? |
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c c johnson
From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
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Posted 31 Jan 2009 4:25 pm
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| One of the best things I ever did was in a small way bring Jerry Byrd and Chris together. Tom Morrell had just completed an album with Chris on it and with Toms permission I copied it and sent it to Jerry. Tom told me the next album was to be " no peddlers" and tell Jerry he was invited. Jerry came back with he would be happy to participate on one condition.Chris would have to be there to sing I'm Confessin with him backing her. Jerry said Chris had that "smokey" voice he loved in girl singers. Tom said hell yes and arrangments were made. I was invited to attend the session but wouldn't you know I had the worst case of cedar fever in the world. Jerry thanked me time after time for my part in this and next yr at the TWSHOF in San Marcos I introduced myself to Chris and and she was so happy to have recorded woth Jerry. cc |
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Lucky Oceans
From:
Fremantle, W Australia, Australia
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Posted 5 Feb 2009 7:38 pm
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Anyone there still?
Just to clarify, the first band members were Ray Benson, Leroy Preston and myself. We got together in W.Virginia. Chris O'Connell and Gene Dobkin (like Ray, Gene was from Antioch Yellow Springs, I was from Antioch Columbia) were next. Floyd Domino joined on piano and Scott Hennige on drums when the band moved to Oakland, Ca. and Tony Garnier replaced Gene on bass. |
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Pete Finney
From:
Nashville Tn.
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Posted 5 Feb 2009 8:49 pm
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Hi Lucky...
I wondered about that... I was thinking I'd already seen the band as a 4 or 5 piece a few times (1970) and being at a gig where you brought Chris up to sing a few songs for the first time (introduced as "a secretary from Arlington..."?). Maybe at "Emergency" in Georgetown? |
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Jeff Evans
From:
Cowtown and The Bill Cox Outfit
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 2:31 pm
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| Ronnie Prophet has a pretty thick southern accent for a Canadian! Laughing |
Maybe he's from Southern Canada . . . deep in the Heart of Ontario, perhaps. |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 5:08 pm
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Only saw AATW once at the Cowboy in Anaheim, Ca. My friend Bobby Black was playing Steel. It was not a good venue for the band, the club was all about the dancers and being seen there !
AATW seems much like the old Bob Wills Band, always on the road, frequently changing musicians. I wonder how many musicians were members of this band over the years. Being on the road is an exciting time for young musicians but can get old pretty quickly. I admire the guys who can stick with it for the love of the music. |
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Doug Earnest
From:
Branson, MO USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2009 8:01 pm
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Lucky, I would like you to know that an Austin City Limits with you in AATW (1979??)was one of the things that made me decide to try to learn to play one of these mechanical gadgets. Thanks! The "big band" of that era is my favorite lineup. And yes, Chris was mighty fine!
_________________
Doug Earnest
Manufacturer of Stage One & Encore pedal steel guitars
http://www.stageonesteelguitars.com
"Teach Your Children Well" |
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